A Most Beautiful Final Breath
by The Layman
Summary: Sit down children, and I'll tell you a tale of the greatest wizard to ever live. (Beautiful Death #2)


_Dedicated to Wild Rhov and her indomitable will. She is the Titania of Fairy Tail fanfiction._

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Erza "Titania" Scarlet, an S-Class Wizard, member of the illustrious (and infamous) Fairy Tail guild. Arguably the strongest member of Fairy Tail under Makarov Dreyar and Gildarts Clive. The youngest member to pass the S-Class trials. Defeated 100 monsters in the Grand Magic Games "Pandemonium" event in X791.

She was, without a doubt, one of the strongest wizards in all of Fiore.

And she was all that was standing between Magnolia and the fiends that aimed to destroy it.

No one knew where these aggressors came from or what their goals were; they never made any declarations, no ultimatums, there wasn't even any evidence that they could speak words. They just marched their armies across the country until they'd reached Magnolia, where the wizards of Fairy Tail tried valiantly to hold them back.

Unfortunately, the aggressors' strength was overwhelming, so only the S-Class wizards were even able to hold their own, and even then only just barely. Laxus Dreyar, the Lightning Dragon Slayer fought hard and long, but eventually suffered a fatal blow and needed to be taken away. Mirajane Straus, although managing to hold her own, broke away and carried Laxus away from the battle. Although she was loathe to leave what few comrades were left on the battlefield, it was pointed out that someone strong should help Master Makarov defend the town if some of the aggressors managed to make it that far.

But what about Gildarts you ask? Where was he in all this? He was deep in the middle of another Hundred Year Quest far on the other side of the country, and word had not yet reached him of his Guild's plight. Had he known, he would have found the fastest transport he could and wrought unholy destruction on those that dared raise a hand against Fairy Tail.

Erza was all alone against hoards of thousands. Never before had she faced such overwhelming odds, not even in the Grand Magic Games; even the demons of Tartaros weren't as powerful and deadly those she faced now.

Not once did it ever cross her mind to flee, or to even be afraid. She was the last barrier between them and the town, and every person and animal that lived there (not to mention all her friends). If she failed here, all their lives would be forfeit, their blood on her hands.

She would not have this!

By this point many of her armours had been used and destroyed by the aggressors: her Black Wing Armour, all of her Elemental armours, her Morning Star Armour, The Giant's Armour, and countless others, too many to name. Even her Adamantine Armour, with its nearly impregnable defence, was shattered.

But she didn't give up; with every armour that was sacrificed she slew dozens of the aggressors, even as their numbers refused to dwindle. She carved up each enemy soldier that stood before her, unconcerned for her own battered body. What were a few scratches compared to the safety of the town she loved and the people within? So she fought every challenger that she met, only moving forward towards victory.

Soon she was left with a few armours and only slightly more weapons (which had also given their lives in defence of her Nakama), her reserves of Magic beginning to dwindle, and still near countless enemies left before her. Fortunately, the Armours she had left were among her most powerful; her Armadura Fairy, Nakagami Armour, and her Heaven's Wheel Armour. Any of these three could level normal armies on their own, but with her diminished reserves Erza needed to be smart about which one she used.

Wasting no time, she requiped into Heaven's Wheel, summoning the rest of her swords. She then charged forward with a mighty battle cry, grabbing two swords at random and driving them through the enemy directly in front of her. As this foe fell, another leapt at her from behind. However, he too fell to her blades, her reflexes unmatched. The next met the same fate, as did the next, and the next, and the next, and so on. 100, 200, 300, none were able stand against her, her fury driving her ever onwards; how dare these cretins attack her town, to raise a sword against her Nakama! They would pay! She wouldn't leave a single one of them standing, no matter what it took!

2000 down.

Suddenly, one of her swords snapped in two as she decapitated another enemy, right at the point where the blade met the guard. One of the splinters that shot out scratched her face, leaving a thin trail of blood leaking from her cheek.

5000 down.

More of her swords shattered, yet Erza continued her onslaught, oblivious to all around her save for the enemy. She was finally starting to feel the effects of prolonged fighting, but she wouldn't stop until one of either two conditions were met; either they died, or she did.

8000 down.

She stopped counting after 9000, the actual tally of felled aggressors unimportant. Most of her swords were spent now, and Heaven's Wheel was nearly falling apart. Until now she'd ignoring the state of her own body in favor of cutting down the aggressors, but as they began forming ranks she realized the toll the fighting had taken on her. She needed to strike a decisive blow soon, or else they would completely overwhelm her. She requiped into Armadura Fairy, charging up her two remaining swords and lunging straight through the center of their ranks.

The devastation in the wake of this attack left a terrible wound in the earth, the fallen bodies of the aggressors scattered on either side, unmoving.

It was then that the leader of the aggressors appeared.

All the soldiers Erza fought so far had been fully encased in heavy armour themselves, as well as helmets that had no openings of any kind, so no one could tell what they looked like. This one was different; he looked like an ordinary man, nothing special about his looks whatsoever. In fact, if he were in a crowd it would be nearly impossible to distinguish him from anyone else. He wore armour like the soldiers, only more ornate, and it was as if his very presence radiated sheer power. He wore no sword, though on each of his gauntlets there were two wicked looking spikes, attached to the wrist and extending a foot past the tip of his fingers.

Again Erza lunged, expecting him to be like all the others she'd slain. For a moment he did nothing, but at the last second he crossed his arms in front of him, blocking the attack. When the dust cleared, the leader didn't even appear to have a scratch on him, his armour still shining like it had just been polished.

Erza struck again and again, trying to break his guard; if one large attack wouldn't work, then perhaps many smaller attacks would weaken him enough for her to get one good strike in. She was far from peak condition, her level of fatigue was rising ever higher, and she was scraping the last reserves of magical power she had. Still, her will was indomitable, and she would continue fighting until she could fight no longer. For her family in the Guild, for the safety of everyone in the town, she would fight until there was no doubt that Magnolia would stand another day.

Then, before she could even realize what was happening, she was flying back, crashing through a large boulder before coming to a stop nearly a thousand meters away, tumbling all the way. When she was finally able to stand up again, the leader of the aggressors was casually walking towards her, undiluted power radiating from him.

It was all or nothing now.

Standing defiantly, she requiped into the final armour she had left: the Nakagami Armour. She'd been holding off from using this particular armour because the drain of magical power required to use it is immense, so much so that she'd only used it twice. However, this is her last resort, and the rewards of her victory clearly outweigh the risks involved.

This is the final stand of Erza "Titania" Scarlet.

Halberd in hand, she looks the leader directly in the eye, no amount of fear or weakness present in her gaze. The leader must have been impressed by her resolve, because he points to the center of his forehead. As he does, a glow seems to emanate for where he is pointing.

The meaning is clear; he's showing her his weak point, daring her to make the first move.

She takes the chance, swinging her halberd with all her might and putting every last ounce of magical power into this armour's special attack, Nakagami Starlight.

The explosion is so brilliant is obscures everything, even causing the people in town to shield their eyes from the glare.

For a moment, all is silent.

Then the brilliance dissipates.

Erza and the leader are both motionless, the leader standing in the same position he started in, and Erza having swung her weapon, the blade and guard of her halberd broken off and stuck in the ground.

Then she looked down and saw the leader's arm buried in her torso, the cold metal of the gauntlet and spikes painful on her insides. All her magic was used up, and she could slowly feel her life slipping away and blood poured from her mortal wound.

She failed.

The leader raised his arm so Erza was now face to face with him, even the slight motion causing pain to shoot through her entire body. His expression never changed, but it was clear this was meant to be gloating of his victory, that he'd shrugged off every attack she'd thrown at him and come out unscathed.

That he'd utterly defeated her.

But then something happened that he wasn't expecting. It took him a moment to notice at first because it was so slight, but as he listened intently he could hear it; Erza's laughter.

And in the confusion, she drove the remainder of the halberd's pole into his forehead, right where he'd indicated.

For a moment he just stood there, stunned, then he began to dissolve into black sand, letting Erza fall to the ground.

How long she lay there she couldn't say; a minute, an hour… Not that it mattered, with her life literally bleeding out she didn't have much longer anyway. That last wound was clearly fatal, so much so that even if she received magical attention now it wouldn't do any good. Death was closing in.

But she'd done it; every last enemy was vanquished and Magnolia, its citizens, and her Nakama were all safe.

Victory.

"Damn it…," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper, "now I'm going to miss the Fantasia Parade…"

As her eyes grew darker she turned her head to get one last look at the town, and saw all her friends running towards her.

"My friends," she croaked, tears running down the side of her face; she couldn't ask for a better last sight than everyone in Fairy Tail.

And as the darkness overtook her, she smiled, content that she succeeded in protecting those she loved. And as her Nakama reached her she breathed her last.

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_"A more beautiful final breath if ever there was one."_

_"She died?..." a young girl said, tears welling up in her eyes._

_"Sadly, she did," the storyteller said, "But don't feel bad; she died fighting to protect what she loved."_

_"Are you sure that's what really happened?" a little boy asked from the crowd of children that had gathered to hear travelling storyteler tell them the story of the greatest wizard of Fairy Tail._

_"I'm quite sure, Young One," the elderly man said, patting the boy on his head, "it really happened."_

_"So then what happened after she died?" the girl asked._

_"Well, as you would expect, everyone from Fairy Tail mourned her loss greatly. For an entire month they grieved for her, though Natsu, the legendary Fire Dragon Slayer, took her loss the hardest; he'd always dreamed of winning against her in a fight, and now he'd never get the chance."_

_"Mister Storyteller?" A young girl, a year or so younger than the rest if the kids, raised her hand from the back of the crowd, "Was Erza really as beautiful as they say?"_

_He chuckled softly, "Yes, she was quite beautiful. See for yourself." He pointed up towards the statue that stood above them._

_The statue was of Erza wearing her Heaven's Wheel armour, made from pure marble. It stood 15 feet high, including the base, and was exquisitely detail in every way. The face had a serene expression on it, and in her hands she was holding two swords styled like her armour, held out to the sides._

_"Jura of Lamia Scale erected it a year after her death, when she was inducted in the Ten Wizard Saints. At the commencement ceremony, he said briefly, 'She was a shining example of how to live, and in death she shines even brighter. I was not there at the time of her death, but this is how I'm sure she must have looked.'"_

_"There you all are!" someone exclaimed from behind the children. They all turned around and saw their teacher standing there, looking disapproving, "I thought I told kids to stay with me, not go wandering off! What would you parents say if I told them I lost you?"_

_"We're sorry Mrs. Heartfilia!" they chorused, rushing to hug her legs._

_"It's alright," she said, smiling down at them, "at least you were all by something noticeable; just be sure to stick close from now on. Let's go, the Fantasia Parade is going to start soon."_

_She motioned for the kids to go with her assistant, a petite woman with greyish, aqua hair and reading glasses, then faced the storyteller._

_"That was a beautiful story," she told him, her voice becoming quiet, "better than what I could come up with on such short notice."_

_"So, you were there the whole time, huh?" he smirked. "You could have come sit with us, you know."_

_"No, I would have just corrected you and everything you got wrong, I am a teacher after all. Are you coming to the Guild later? I know you're still a wanted fugitive, but everyone left from my generation is having a little get together in honour of the 50th anniversary of 'that day', and I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you and Meredy dropped by."_

_"Thanks, but we can't stay here for too much longer; I was only passing by to pay my respects to Erza here." He glanced up at statue one more time, "It's a shame we never fully reconciled our relationship."_

_"Wherever she is now," Lucy said, also glancing up at the statue, "I'm sure she's already forgiven you." Then she walked back into the crowd of people gathered, "I'll see you later; I'm off to watch the Parade, then to see my daughter compete in the Miss Fairy Tail X842 pageant."_

_The storyteller nodded farewell, then turned back to the statue one last time. On the base was plaque made of the same material as Erza's Heart Kruez armour was._

_In filled in black letters it read: _"Erza "Titania" Scarlet, age 20. Member of Fairy Tail. Born in Rosemary Village, X765-X784, X791-X792. She lived for her friends until her very last breath."

_"Hmm, sounds about right." The storyteller then pulled up his hood, hiding his distinctive grey/blue hair, and melded with the crowd. Off to go pass on the legend of Erza Scarlet to as many people as he could._

_Honestly, it was the best punishment Jellal Fernandes could think of._

fin.

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_A tribute the the greatest Fairy Tail character of all time, as well as the greatest Magical Girl (tell me I'm wrong about that) ever, in the best way I know how. The names are spelled differently from what you're used to, it because I took the spellings from the Fairy Tail Wikia. (A most excellent source of Fairy Tail information and trivia.)  
_


End file.
